This disclosure relates to printers with finishers and more particularly to printers with finishers that can have the capacity of the finisher limited to below the physical capacity of the finisher through user input.
In the case of copiers, printers and the like (hereinafter all referred to generally as printers), it is often advantageous to provider users thereof with a way to monitor the printer's operations and/or available resources. For example, a user may desire to know how may sheets of paper or other medium are in a particular sheet feeder which supplies the sheets to the printer. Similarly, a user may desire to know how many sheets reside in a particular stacker or other finishing device which receives the output sheets from the printer. Dorsey et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,744,527 and Skrainar et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,748,186, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by this reference, disclose printers with finishing devices and user interfaces for monitoring and controlling the printer and finishing devices.
Some previously developed printers include an indicator which informs the user of the amount of sheets in a sheet feeder and/or finishing device relative to the maximum physical capacity for that sheet feeder and/or finishing device. The capacity of the finisher or stacker is typically dictated by the dimensions of the stack area. Often the capacity of the stack may permit the weight of the stack formed therein to exceed the physical capabilities of the user to manipulate the stack. Additionally, some printers allow for an adjusted or modified operational capacity which is less than a maximum physical capacity. Some finishing devices permit a user to select or set the device to run at an operational capacity less than its maximum physical capacity, for example, to accommodate a desired output stacking pattern. A user interface is often provided for monitoring of the capacity and selection of the capacity of the printer.
Some prior art indicators are limited insomuch as their measurements are indicated relative to only the maximum physical capacity of the printer, sheet feeder and/or finishing device. Such indicators provide no indication that the operational capacity is reduced from the maximum physical capacity, nor do they communicate what the reduced operational capacity is relative to the maximum physical capacity. However, this information may be desired by the user or operator of the printer, especially when a printer is operating at less than max capacity, is approaching the max capacity and is near the end of a print job. In such a situation, the user might wish to over-ride the operational limit on the capacity to allow the print job to be completed.
Users of photocopiers and similar devices that stack the output of the device would appreciate the ability to limit the size of the stack produced by the device to below the physical limits of the device. Once having limited the size of the stack produced, a user would appreciate the ability to override the stack size limit under certain circumstances. For instance, if the copy or printing job being executed is very near to completion when the stack size limit is reached, the user would appreciate the ability to override the stack limit to allow the current job to be completed in a single stack. Thus, a user of a printing device would appreciate receiving a prompt when the stack height limit is about to be reached and the option to override the stack height limit.
A user interface is provided to permit the user to set the stack limit at or below the physical capacity of the finishing device. The user interface also provides a user with the opportunity to override the stack limit as the stack limit is approach on the current job.
According to one aspect of the disclosure, a printing apparatus includes a print engine, at least one finishing module and a control module. The print engine fixes an image onto a substrate forming a hard copy. The at least one finishing module prepares and arranges a series of hard copies into sets thereof for removal by an operator. The finishing module includes a control subsystem connected to the main electronic control system. The finishing module has a physical capacity but is operable at a selectable selected limit capacity less than or equal to the physical capacity. The control module includes a main electronic control system having a user interface. The control module monitors an actual capacity in the finishing module and compares the actual capacity to an active limit capacity. The active limit capacity is either the selected limit capacity or an override limit capacity. The control module generates interactive visual information for displaying on a display of the user interface. The interactive visual information includes a limit capacity selection screen whereby an operator can select a selected limit capacity, an override screen whereby the operator can select to permit the selected limit capacity to be overridden so that the active limit capacity may be set to an override limit capacity and an override prompt screen whereby the operator can select to change the active limit capacity from the selected limit capacity to the override limit capacity.
According to another aspect of the disclosure, a method of operating a printer having a finisher module having a maximum physical sheet capacity which is operable at an operational sheet capacity equal to or less than the maximum physical sheet capacity is provided. The method comprises selecting and operational capacity, monitoring an actual level of material, comparing the monitored level and selected capacity, prompting a printer operator for override information, indicating an override selection and resetting the operational capacity if an override is indicated. The selected operational capacity is below the physical capacity of the finishing module. The actual level of material in the finishing module is monitored during operation of the printer. The monitored actual level is compared to the selected operational capacity. The printer operator is prompted to select whether the selected operational capacity should be exceeded when the monitored actual level is at or near the selected operational capacity. A response to the prompting step indicates whether the selected operational capacity should be exceeded by indicating that the selected operational capacity should be exceeded or by indicating that the selected operational capacity should not be exceeded. The operational capacity is reset to an override operational capacity above the selected operational capacity and below or equal to the physical capacity in response to an indication that the selected operational capacity should be exceeded in the indicating step.
According to yet another aspect of the disclosure, a user interface is provided for a printer having a finishing device having a maximum physical sheet capacity and being operable at an operational sheet capacity equal to or less than the maximum physical sheet capacity, a marking device which applies marks to sheets of media supplied thereto and outputs the same and a finishing device which receives the sheets from the marking device. The user interface comprises a display and an input device. The display communicates to an operator of the printer a selectable operational capacity of the finisher whereby the operator may select a selectable operational capacity, a selectable option to override the selectable operational capacity and a prompt to override the operational capacity. The input device permits the operator of the printer to indicate selections.
Additional features and advantages of the presently disclosed printer user interface and method will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description of embodiments exemplifying the best mode of carrying out the disclosed apparatus and method as presently perceived.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. Like reference characters tend to indicate like parts throughout the several views.